Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he is ready to travel and meet Russian President Vladimir Putin if his counterpart is invited by the US to participate in the upcoming G20 summit later this year.
"Yes, of course. We have to come. We have to meet, to speak and make decisions," Zelenskyy told German broadcaster DW at Canadian Forces Base North Bay on Friday, responding to a question on the matter.
During the interview, which was published early Saturday amid a visit by the Ukrainian president to Canada, Zelenskyy said that the exchange that would take place in such a meeting does not matter, adding: "Results matter. That's it."
Zelenskyy and Putin had their first and only in-person encounter in December 2019 during a summit held in the Normandy format in the French capital, Paris.
"If he really wants to meet with Putin, Putin has previously said that he can fly to Moscow," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state news agency Tass in response to a request for comment on Zelenskyy's remarks.
The G20 summit is an annual gathering of leaders from developed and developing economies to discuss the world's most pressing challenges. The 2026 edition of the summit will take place in Miami, Florida, on Dec. 14-15.
Putin last took part in a G20 summit in person in 2019. He has, however, participated in the 2020 and 2021 summits via videoconference.
